As I rested my hands on my knees, I caught my breath and looked back the way I came. No snake following me. I must besafe. As a precaution, I cut a glance in the opposite direction. More trees and more vines, but no snake.
My gaze fell back behind me.
Or did I come from that direction?
Nah, I wagged my head, my brow furrowing. That way just had trees and grass and vines, and the other direction had…trees and grass and vines...
Oh no!
My bottom lip quivered as I turned in a circle, getting myself even further mixed up. I had no idea which direction I had come, which meant, I had no idea how to get back. But I knew my steps, and fifty steps weren’t a lot.
Right?
I could pick a direction, run fifty steps, and if that wasn’t the right direction, I’d come back and use this as my new base. I chewed the side of my cheek, my anxiety peaked. I’d needed to find a way to mark my trail, or I was going to continue to get deeper into the brush with no way back. I didn’t have anything on me, but quickly came up with the idea to break a vine and tie it around a branch like a flag. It couldn’t be too obvious, though, or it might give me away. It must be a low branch that’s camouflaged, and only I know how to check it. I nodded, liking my plan.
It had to work.
ten
Jasper
“Uuuaaaaahhhhhhh.” I yawned awake while scratching my stomach. Several unrecognizable bug bites had formed tiny hills on my flesh, and the itch was hard to ignore.
But even with the bug bites, my nap hit the spot. My eyes peeled open slowly, one at a time. Never alarmed when I woke in unfamiliar scenery because I was used to sleeping outside and in random places, it took my brain an extra second to register the jungle. Jolting, I checked both my sides and with no sight of Evie, I jumped to my feet. My memory flooded back.
I left her napping by the swamp shore!
I’m sure she’s fine.
I forced a calm breath and stretched lightly over my head. No need to panic. She’s more than likely getting her much-needed rest . . .
Unless Peg Leg caught up to her!
Okay, panic!
I should have known better than to leave her.
I turned in a full circle, assessing my surroundings. Thankfully, I was resourceful enough from living outside all these years to be able to gauge directions with the position of the sun. I combined that with my memory of the twisted knot patterns of the trees and waded my way back through the tall grass the way I had come. The grass was thick and so healthy, it wasn’t immediately obvious someone had traipsed through it. That was more reassuring to me than worrisome, as covering our tracks was my highest priority.
I got lucky and picked a direct path, making it back to base in less than five minutes. To my surprise, Evie wasn’t napping anymore.
No need to immediately sound an alarm.
First, I checked around the surrounding trees, and when nothing turned up, my heart slammed against my ribcage, and twisted, pumping fear through all my extremities.
Normally, I’d never shout to announce my whereabouts, but I was savage, and can handle my own. Evie couldn’t and I feared for her safety. I didn’t care if I risked my own life. “Evie!” I called, low at first, hopeful she’d gone only a few feet out of my sight. I waited, listening to my echo, but when I didn’t get a return call, I yelled louder, “Evie!”
Nothing.
Sweat frosted my lower back, both from the humidity and all-consuming horror. Evie’s smart, and she wouldn’t have wandered off, which meant…she had been taken captive. She’s too sweet and naïve to make it out of any captivity alive. She’s going to need rescuing if it’s not already too late.
How do I find her?
My stomach did a triple-double flip. How could I be so dumb to leave her alone with pirates roaming around?
Am I really that stupid?
My eyes dropped to the ground, covered in tall grass almost up to my waist at some points. It might have been my imagination, but I could make out a narrow trail that somethingpassed through recently. I didn’t have any proof that it was Evie, but out of other clues and against my better judgement, I stepped and paused, calling softy, “Evie.”
